And instead of translating into influence for the Agency, American officials told the Times, the tens of millions of dollars in "ghost money" has undermined U.S. strategy by fueling corruption and empowering warlords.

“The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan was the United States,” one American official told the Times.

The CIA still makes the payments, Rosenberg reports. And the money is still used to pay off warlords and politicians, many of whom have ties to the drug trade or even the Taliban.

A glaring example of the payments conflicting with U.S. interests is the case of President Karzai's half brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai.